E3 2014: Nintendo Digital Event – My Highlights

10Jun

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the first instalment of my coverage on E3 2014. This event has a lot of stuff going but I will try to cover as much as possible so be sure to come back as soon as possible yo. I’ve already talked about Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and Sony‘s press conferences and now I’m ready to move on to the next big event.

So now we have Nintendo, the main company I’ve been looking forward to. For me this is my jam and I needed Nintendo to do the deed and give us fans what we want. The last few press conferences have been really good, none of which have been completely perfect, but with the performance of Sony yesterday, Nintendo have a lot to prove not only to the companies that have come before them, but for themselves too. So how they fared? Well yes and no. To be fair Nintendo stepped up and gave us fun, games and news stuff and showed off some new games that DESPERATELY needed to be shown, but at the same time overall there I wasn’t completely left breathless. I loved Nintendo’s collaboration with Robot Chicken, it shows that they are really in-tune with their audience and they can have fun and entertain people. Seeing Reggie, Mario, Link and Toon Link and all those chaotic characters in action, that was some crazy and hilarious stuff. But then even more amazing was the inclusion of Satoru Iwata and Reggie fighting each other in a DBZ/Matrix style was AMAZING and really funny, it was so serious dramatic and badass, I want this type of Nintendo to existence forever.

So with that in mind here’s my highlights of the presence conference:

Super Smash Bros

So Smash Bros., I need this game. Just when people thought that there was no more info to gain on this game, Masahiro Sakurai along with Nintendo blow our minds AGAIN! So what do have that’s new? Well Mii characters have joined the roster in three different forms; fighters, sword-welders and shooters and even Palutena from Kid Icarus: Uprising has joined the roster too. In addition to that we got a montage of the different modes in the game like the already announced Smash Run and Online modes, but we also see the return of Home Run and possibly a variation on that with a bomb, there’s also trophy viewing modes and list of other things shown in a montage of scenes. This video also showed off Amiibo, Nintendo’s answer to Skylanders figure collecting thing. Basically now you will be able to have these individual figures that you’ll be able to use them in-game and they’ll be able to collect data and have your own unique style mapped to them. And lastly we got a release date for the 3DS version, October 3rd, while the Wii U version will be out in the holiday section of 2014. So sure the 3DS version has been delayed, but I don’t care, as long as the game is good I’ll wait as long as it takes. I NEED my Smash Bros. fix yo! XD

Yoshi’s Wooly World

So Yoshi returns in a platforming game developed by the same team that made Kirby’s Epic Yarn. I like how we get to see the game but also get information from the developers about the way it plays, game mechanics and how they want their game to be better than the Kirby one before. The game looks very pretty, soft and colourful.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

I love Toad, he’s such a don. He’s always been one of my favourite characters since te days of Mario Kart 64, but I don’t think it was until he was made into a main-ish kind of character as Captain Toad of the Toad Brigade in Super Mario Galaxy when I really started to like him. And now seeing him with his own sort of Super Mario 3D World type of game, now I don’t know if this is its own separate game or DLC, but I would hope that it is DLC because I doubt there would be enough Toad-based activities to fill out one physical game release.

The Legend of Zelda (Wii U)

I love Eiji Aonuma, he is one of the main people working in the video game industry who understands how to innovate and change games for the better and clearly he and the people at Nintendo know what fans want and it looks like from what he’s said about the NES classic and Wind Waker, that he’s gonna continue the freedom and game-changing mechanics that were implemented in A Link Between Worlds and gives us freedom. And I want it now.

The new Zelda game is looking hot! I knew that the game would look good, but MY GOD I did not expect it to be on this kind of level. Just from the footage we saw the game looks GORGEOUS! The open field is just full of life, with Link and Epona chilling, a beautiful sky, mountains in the background and the grass, the FRIGGING GRASS! My god it was so detailed and well-animated in a way that has never been seen before. Visually it looks like the world of Skyrim rendered in a vibrant and colourful way with an art style that looks like it references Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, but has a unique style of its own. Then there’s the moment where everything becomes disrupted and Link rides away on Epona as some crazy robot, crab-like thing chases after them shooting lasers and burning everything, it then destroys the bridge where Link’s heading, but then Link decides to bust out a kick ass new bow and start shooting this monster in style. I seriously can’t wait for 2015 now.

Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

So here we are, another year, another Pokemon game… And I want it. I loved the new additions that game with X&Y, but seeing this generation rendered brought back with this new technology makes me so happy. The trailer for this Pokemon remake was brief, though it did feature a montage of all these classic moments, redone in 3D and brought back so much nostalgia for me. I can’t wait.

Bayonetta 2

So yeah just like E3 last year and Nintendo Directs in the past, this game shows up, has a trailer which is a combination of cutscenes and gameplay which is fast and crazy and then ends as quickly as it began. Don’t get me wrong, Bayonetta 2 looks great and I’m probably gonna get it, but there’s not much to these trailers that really makes me gush like other Nintendo titles. But hey at least we finally has a release window, October 2014. I’m down with that.

Hyrule Warriors

Now we have a game that pretty much had people in two minds and whether the video shown during the event has changed some people’s opinions remains to be scene, but I like how Hyrule Warriors is turning out. I am really liking the attention paid to this game and how this collaboration between Tecmo Koei and Nintendo is being treated carefully and seriously. What I really liked was the improved visuals, but also the inclusion of characters Zelda and Midna, those were totally unexpected and I loved their move sets. So in addition to Link and Impa, you have two more characters to use and luckily their attacks look very diverse and reminiscent of the games from the past. We have November release date

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

When I saw this game I couldn’t believe it was back again. It has been about 6 years I think since I played Canvas Curse on the DS and I thought that game was very well done and enjoyable, though I honestly prefer conventional Kirby platforming games. That being said I am interested to see this style of Kirby gameplay return and with the additional power-ups and it definitely looks prettier than ever on Wii U too.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Another game coming out in 2015 that many Nintendo fans are looking forward to is Xenoblade Chronicles X, the game formally known as ‘X’ has finally gotten a name. What we got was a very anime-like trailer with crazy space battles, mech suits and characters talking and shouting in a very emotional and shouting kind of way. The level of detail and scope in the graphics is really impressive, though I feel like the character models could look better. I know loads of people are excited for this game but since I never played the original I’m not as hyped for it as other games announced.

So what highlights stuck out for you? Be sure to comment below and let me know.